This invention pertains to the art of wheelchairs, and more particularly to children's wheelchairs.
The invention is applicable to a convertible wheelchair that easily transforms from an attended wheelchair arrangement to a self propelled wheelchair arrangement and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, it will be appreciated that certain aspects of the invention have broader applications and may be advantageously employed in other wheelchair environments and applications.
Versatility and safety are primary concerns in the design of wheelchairs. Particularly, and with wheelchairs intended for children and young adults, it is important to provide a chair that changes or adapts to the growth of the child. Without such adaptability and versatility, a new wheelchair must be periodically purchased to accommodate the various growth stages of the child.
For example, attended wheelchairs include handles so that an attendant can easily move the child in the wheelchair, in much the same manner as a stroller. In such an arrangement, the child or other wheelchair occupant is not intended to individually operate or propel the wheelchair. Instead, the wheelchair is designed to be pushed by an attendant, thus the origin of the name.
In many cases, and as the child grows, the child can or even desires to operate the wheelchair on his/her own. Obviously, this gives the child a greater sense of freedom. Unfortunately, attended and self propelled wheelchairs are typically two distinct wheelchairs. Therefore, a child who has been using an attended wheelchair must obtain a self propelled wheelchair.
Another aspect of versatility is the ability to tilt and/or pivot the seat through a preselected range of angular movement while maintaining a stable support.
Likewise, versatility of a wheelchair design should equally address both lateral and longitudinal dimensional changes that easily convert the wheelchair to different incremental sizes.
Yet another aspect of versatility Is the ability of the wheelchair to adapt to after market conversions. For example, certain wheelchair users require specialized seat supports. Use of molded seats or lateral bracing should be easily adapted to the standard off-the-shelf wheelchair design without a significant amount of modification.
Unfortunately, these various needs have not been adequately addressed by the industry. Thus, the prospective purchaser is forced into picking and choosing selected options while sacrificing the availability of other options.